As I continue the series of Cheerful Ghost Community Interviews the next person up is @WhiteboySlim. I really dug this interview as we both have a similar history of games we grew up playing. I want to thank @WhiteboySlim for doing the interview!
jdodson: Are you interested in any of the next gen consoles? Wii U, PS4, NextBox or the Steambox?
WhiteboySlim: I’m interested to see what they all will offer to be honest. I haven’t had any hands-on time with the Wii U, but I would like to see it in action to see if it’s any good. I’m also very interested in the Steambox. Valve has done some really cool stuff with Steam, and I can’t wait to see what they will bring to consoles. Plus I have a lot of games on Steam that I would love to play on the TV. As far as Sony goes, I’ve owned every generation of playstation so far and even have a PSP, so I’ll be interested to see what the PS4 looks like.
jdodson: Is there any console you are interested a bit over the others?
WhiteboySlim: Definitely the Steambox because it’s new. I hope Valve shakes up the console gaming scene for the better. :)
jdodson: Why don’t we have flying cars now? What's holding back this back?
WhiteboySlim: Maybe I think this because I’m from southern California, but I think flying cars would be a bad idea. People crash into each other all the time but at least they’re (mostly) restricted to the roads. Just think how bad it’ll be if people were crashing into buildings.
jdodson: WhiteboySlim has a list of the best 5 video games of all time. Please share your list with the Ultraverse Interpipes 4000(p.s. thats whats Hipsters call The Internet).
WhiteboySlim: Oh wow, I don’t know if I could narrow it down to that small of a list. I definitely have a soft spot for the SNES era RPG’s, so games like Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, FF3/FF6, and Earthbound are very high on my list. I also usually play through FF7 once every year or two. I’ve been playing a lot of Borderlands 2 and I love it. Several Zelda games could go in this list. The first Disgaea is awesome. I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into FF Tactics both on PSone and the PSP remake. I’m already well above 5 games, so I’ll just stop there.
jdodson: I am curious what Zelda titles you would put on the list?
WhiteboySlim: The original, for being the one game probably most responsible for turning me into a lifelong gamer. A Link to the Past for general awesomeness. Links Awakening for the story and a bittersweet ending that actually evoked a genuine emotional response from me. Personally, I place Majora’s Mask slightly ahead of Ocarina of Time. MM tried some new things that had never been done in a Zelda game before and I think it worked really well.
jdodson: Link’s Awakening was like that for me as well. Its such a simple game, yet very powerful. As games come and go this one has stuck with me above the others, I think for its simplicity and the overall outcome of your actions.
WhiteboySlim: Very few games leave me haunted by the choices I made. In order to win the game and escape the island you have to wake the Wind Fish, but doing so means all the inhabitants disappear. Did they die? Were they ever real to begin with? It’s deep, man.
jdodson: What’s your favorite Mario suit or power?
WhiteboySlim: The Kuribo’s shoe from Mario 3! It only showed up in one stage, but it was awesome. :)
jdodson: Such a strange thing to only put something in on level. I wonder if it was someones pet project or what? Did some searching, found a good description of it but no history.
http://www.mariowiki.com/Goomba's_Shoe
jdodson: The Final Fantasy series is pretty long running with the original launching back in 87. Any game in the series stand out to you above the rest?
WhiteboySlim: FF3/6 and FF7 are my favorites in the series, with FF2/4 right behind them. FF9 is underrated in my opinion and another of my favorites. After 9 I think the series as a whole went downhill pretty quick. FF12 was pretty good despite some faults, but still doesn’t really hold a candle to the better games in the series. It’s not part of the “main” Final Fantasy series, but FF Tactics is one of my favorite games of all time.
jdodson: Recently I finished watching “The Last Starfighter.” I loved the film from when I was a wee lad and I think it stands up pretty well now. FINISH THIS!
WhiteboySlim: Oh man, I haven’t seen this movie since I was a little kid. I don’t even remember much about it. Is it on Netflix? I might have to look this up.
jdodson: Whom do you tackle first? Snake Man, Needle Man, Spark Man, Hard Man, Top Man, Gemini Man or Shadow Man?
WhiteboySlim: It’s funny you should ask this. After many years of not playing any Mega Man games I tried to pick up Mega Man 3 again. I forgot how brutally difficult these games were! To answer your original question, for whatever reason I always went after Magnet Man first.
jdodson: What game are you playing right now? Please respond with a Haiku.
WhiteboySlim: F.T.L. space battles! / Borderlands 2 gunzerking! / Minecraft, must build more!
jdodson: What about F.T.L. do you love? It has garnered quite a bit of attention lately, what keeps you coming back to it?
WhiteboySlim: The game is a really great blend of RPG, strategy, and simulation elements all wrapped up in a challenging game that is very easy to pick up and play for short periods of time. FTL and Minecraft are my go-to games when I only have a short period of time to play. Currently I’m trying to unlock the various different spaceships in FTL.
jdodson: I don’t know if there is anything as seemingly overpowered as the Green Gecko Gem. Except Bowser totally ignoring it. I don’t know, what did you think of this Mario comic and its ending? To this date this is the most memorable comic book story I have ever read.
http://www.mariowiki.com/Piranha-Round_Sue
WhiteboySlim: Well you see, early in the comic they say that “only the strongest enemies” can break through the green gecko gem’s protection. I’m assuming that’s why Bowser had no trouble grabbing Piranha-Round Sue but the lesser enemies couldn’t touch Mario when he had it. :) I love this comic too, so much in fact that I have read it to my kids as a bedtime story.
jdodson: You have been with the site since the very beginning. I wonder how you look at how the site has progressed over the last year? If you could do one thing with the site, what would that be?
WhiteboySlim: I think it’s awesome! The site is great, and I’ve enjoyed all the posts by all the users. I especially liked the haiku contest you had awhile back. As for new features, I’d like to see tools to help plan out game nights and CG events.
jdodson: As luck would have it, after I complete the thing I am working on now with the site, the next thing will be what you describe! Yay!
WhiteboySlim: Awesome! MOAR gaming nights!
jdodson: What do you think about the modern incarnations of the Final Fantasy series?
WhiteboySlim: Based on my previous responses, you probably won’t be surprised when I say I’ve been pretty disappointed with the modern FF games. If anything, the last couple installments in the FF series are prime examples that great graphics don’t make a game. They’re beautiful, but they’re just not that much fun. I think a big part of the reason I don’t like the newer FF games is that the characters are bland at best and straight out annoying at worst. (This comic comes to mind: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/8/26 ) Even worse, the villains are also pretty boring. I will give Square Enix credit for not being afraid to experiment with their gameplay though. They are constantly trying new and different things, although usually with mixed results. Still, I keep hoping with each new Square game that they’ll manage to recapture some of the fun of the older games. :)
WhiteboySlim: On a related note, something I miss from older RPG’s is the ability to rename the characters. It’s a minor thing, but I always liked renaming the characters after people I know. To me, it made the adventure feel more personal.
jdodson: Are you interested in any of the next gen consoles? Wii U, PS4, NextBox or the Steambox?
WhiteboySlim: I’m interested to see what they all will offer to be honest. I haven’t had any hands-on time with the Wii U, but I would like to see it in action to see if it’s any good. I’m also very interested in the Steambox. Valve has done some really cool stuff with Steam, and I can’t wait to see what they will bring to consoles. Plus I have a lot of games on Steam that I would love to play on the TV. As far as Sony goes, I’ve owned every generation of playstation so far and even have a PSP, so I’ll be interested to see what the PS4 looks like.
jdodson: Is there any console you are interested a bit over the others?
WhiteboySlim: Definitely the Steambox because it’s new. I hope Valve shakes up the console gaming scene for the better. :)
jdodson: Why don’t we have flying cars now? What's holding back this back?
WhiteboySlim: Maybe I think this because I’m from southern California, but I think flying cars would be a bad idea. People crash into each other all the time but at least they’re (mostly) restricted to the roads. Just think how bad it’ll be if people were crashing into buildings.
jdodson: WhiteboySlim has a list of the best 5 video games of all time. Please share your list with the Ultraverse Interpipes 4000(p.s. thats whats Hipsters call The Internet).
WhiteboySlim: Oh wow, I don’t know if I could narrow it down to that small of a list. I definitely have a soft spot for the SNES era RPG’s, so games like Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, FF3/FF6, and Earthbound are very high on my list. I also usually play through FF7 once every year or two. I’ve been playing a lot of Borderlands 2 and I love it. Several Zelda games could go in this list. The first Disgaea is awesome. I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into FF Tactics both on PSone and the PSP remake. I’m already well above 5 games, so I’ll just stop there.
jdodson: I am curious what Zelda titles you would put on the list?
WhiteboySlim: The original, for being the one game probably most responsible for turning me into a lifelong gamer. A Link to the Past for general awesomeness. Links Awakening for the story and a bittersweet ending that actually evoked a genuine emotional response from me. Personally, I place Majora’s Mask slightly ahead of Ocarina of Time. MM tried some new things that had never been done in a Zelda game before and I think it worked really well.
jdodson: Link’s Awakening was like that for me as well. Its such a simple game, yet very powerful. As games come and go this one has stuck with me above the others, I think for its simplicity and the overall outcome of your actions.
WhiteboySlim: Very few games leave me haunted by the choices I made. In order to win the game and escape the island you have to wake the Wind Fish, but doing so means all the inhabitants disappear. Did they die? Were they ever real to begin with? It’s deep, man.
jdodson: What’s your favorite Mario suit or power?
WhiteboySlim: The Kuribo’s shoe from Mario 3! It only showed up in one stage, but it was awesome. :)
jdodson: Such a strange thing to only put something in on level. I wonder if it was someones pet project or what? Did some searching, found a good description of it but no history.
http://www.mariowiki.com/Goomba's_Shoe
jdodson: The Final Fantasy series is pretty long running with the original launching back in 87. Any game in the series stand out to you above the rest?
WhiteboySlim: FF3/6 and FF7 are my favorites in the series, with FF2/4 right behind them. FF9 is underrated in my opinion and another of my favorites. After 9 I think the series as a whole went downhill pretty quick. FF12 was pretty good despite some faults, but still doesn’t really hold a candle to the better games in the series. It’s not part of the “main” Final Fantasy series, but FF Tactics is one of my favorite games of all time.
jdodson: Recently I finished watching “The Last Starfighter.” I loved the film from when I was a wee lad and I think it stands up pretty well now. FINISH THIS!
WhiteboySlim: Oh man, I haven’t seen this movie since I was a little kid. I don’t even remember much about it. Is it on Netflix? I might have to look this up.
jdodson: Whom do you tackle first? Snake Man, Needle Man, Spark Man, Hard Man, Top Man, Gemini Man or Shadow Man?
WhiteboySlim: It’s funny you should ask this. After many years of not playing any Mega Man games I tried to pick up Mega Man 3 again. I forgot how brutally difficult these games were! To answer your original question, for whatever reason I always went after Magnet Man first.
jdodson: What game are you playing right now? Please respond with a Haiku.
WhiteboySlim: F.T.L. space battles! / Borderlands 2 gunzerking! / Minecraft, must build more!
jdodson: What about F.T.L. do you love? It has garnered quite a bit of attention lately, what keeps you coming back to it?
WhiteboySlim: The game is a really great blend of RPG, strategy, and simulation elements all wrapped up in a challenging game that is very easy to pick up and play for short periods of time. FTL and Minecraft are my go-to games when I only have a short period of time to play. Currently I’m trying to unlock the various different spaceships in FTL.
jdodson: I don’t know if there is anything as seemingly overpowered as the Green Gecko Gem. Except Bowser totally ignoring it. I don’t know, what did you think of this Mario comic and its ending? To this date this is the most memorable comic book story I have ever read.
http://www.mariowiki.com/Piranha-Round_Sue
WhiteboySlim: Well you see, early in the comic they say that “only the strongest enemies” can break through the green gecko gem’s protection. I’m assuming that’s why Bowser had no trouble grabbing Piranha-Round Sue but the lesser enemies couldn’t touch Mario when he had it. :) I love this comic too, so much in fact that I have read it to my kids as a bedtime story.
jdodson: You have been with the site since the very beginning. I wonder how you look at how the site has progressed over the last year? If you could do one thing with the site, what would that be?
WhiteboySlim: I think it’s awesome! The site is great, and I’ve enjoyed all the posts by all the users. I especially liked the haiku contest you had awhile back. As for new features, I’d like to see tools to help plan out game nights and CG events.
jdodson: As luck would have it, after I complete the thing I am working on now with the site, the next thing will be what you describe! Yay!
WhiteboySlim: Awesome! MOAR gaming nights!
jdodson: What do you think about the modern incarnations of the Final Fantasy series?
WhiteboySlim: Based on my previous responses, you probably won’t be surprised when I say I’ve been pretty disappointed with the modern FF games. If anything, the last couple installments in the FF series are prime examples that great graphics don’t make a game. They’re beautiful, but they’re just not that much fun. I think a big part of the reason I don’t like the newer FF games is that the characters are bland at best and straight out annoying at worst. (This comic comes to mind: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/8/26 ) Even worse, the villains are also pretty boring. I will give Square Enix credit for not being afraid to experiment with their gameplay though. They are constantly trying new and different things, although usually with mixed results. Still, I keep hoping with each new Square game that they’ll manage to recapture some of the fun of the older games. :)
WhiteboySlim: On a related note, something I miss from older RPG’s is the ability to rename the characters. It’s a minor thing, but I always liked renaming the characters after people I know. To me, it made the adventure feel more personal.
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It was really fun doing the interview!
Also, when I say "this comic comes to mind" that was suppose to be a link to this: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/8/26. My bad. :)
Fun interview!
@WhiteboySlim, I added the comic link to the interview.
You never played FF8 did you? It's more under appreciated than 9 imo. 8 is among my favs for the FF series.
Never got around to 8. I might look into getting it used for the PSOne since I can play those on my PS3. :)
Yeah, can play PS1 games but not PS2. Uhhh, sure ok. Wondering what the PS4 will be compatable with?
I agree with you, mostly, regarding the newer generations of Final Fantasy. I, too, loved IX. VIII is my all-time most favorite, and is the one that was introduced to me (by Travis) and I totally fell in love with it and Rhinoa. Although a lot of people seem to hate on X-2, I loved that one as well. After that, the series went downhill for me. XI was difficult as I'm more of a solo gamer and that game pretty much sucks for solo gaming. I was lucky enough to find someone who helped me through it a bit.